


take my hand, take my whole life too

by Snowy_Cas



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Fire and Explosions, Gen, Hallucinations, M/M, Short One Shot, someday i'll be good at tags i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:34:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27271255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowy_Cas/pseuds/Snowy_Cas
Summary: Merlin, Arthur, and the knights were ambushed in the forest. Now it's dark, fire and smoke are everywhere, and Merlin can't find his friends.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 52
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	take my hand, take my whole life too

**Author's Note:**

> tagged for both gen and m/m cuz hey, however you wanna interpret is good :)

“Arthur!”

Merlin could hardly hear the sound of his own voice. His ears were filled with a high pitched ringing, nearly deafening him. Even if it wasn’t for that, the roaring fire and distant explosions surely would’ve been enough to muffle his voice.

Merlin looked around wildly for any of his friends. He’d lost sight of Arthur maybe ten minutes ago, and it had been even longer since he’d seen any of the knights. The attack had taken them all by surprise. After all, who expects an attempt on their life via explosions while on a casual trip through the woods?

The air was filled with hot ashes that fell like rain to the ground. Merlin coughed furiously as he tried to breath in the smoke filled atmosphere, his lungs filling up with it. The heat was becoming too much to bear.

There was nowhere he could turn without leaping directly into the fire, so he simply stayed as still as possible and hoped that someone would find him. Usually when he was in a situation such as this one, he would use his magic to save himself, but what magic was going to stop a wildfire, especially one as intense as this one? 

Merlin continued to cough and choke on the smog, but he was able to call out again, “Arthur! Gwaine! Lance!” His voice was lost amongst the flames. “Is anyone there? Please, I need help!”

That’s it, he had to find a way to safety himself. No one was coming. 

With shaky legs, Merlin slowly advanced. A sharp crack rang out above his head as a branch came crashing down from a tree. Merlin dove out of the way just in time before it fell right where he had been standing. Another second of waiting and he’d have been toast, quite literally. Merlin scolded himself, this wasn’t time for jokes. He scrambled to his feet and looked around for where to go next. Then he realized he was lost.

Every direction looked the exact same, an orange and red and grey landscape, like fall leaves stomped into the mud. He was beginning to not be able to discern between a tree and his own hand, for the smoke had gotten so thick that it masked his surroundings. The ringing in his ears had subsided, but not by much. He was feeling worse and worse by the second, becoming lightheaded and the corners of his vision growing blurry. Merlin groaned. Perhaps he really wasn’t going to make it out of here. 

His eyes stung, both from the smoke and from the tears that were forming. He let out a trembling breath and ran his hands through his hair. Where was everyone? How was he yet to find a single other person? He hoped at least they had not been separated from each other.

Another explosion sounded, closer than the last one. 

“Dammit, Arthur, where are you?” he half muttered, half slurred.

“I’m right here.”

Merlin whipped around and broke out into a joyous laugh as he was met with the sight of his prince. Arthur stood smiling a few feet away from Merlin. His hair was perfectly combed, his armor polished so well that Merlin could see his own reflection in it, and there wasn’t even a mark on Arthur’s skin. Around him, the smoke seemed to dissipate and there was no fire. The grass under his feet was soft and green. Everything was perfect where Arthur stood, and he himself was no exception.

Merlin’s vision was getting darker and his entire body felt weighed down, but he was too happy to see Arthur to notice, or even care. He walked towards the prince and upon reaching him, smiled and asked, “Where the hell have you been?”

“It only matters where we’re going,” Arthur said gently, and extended a soft hand out to Merlin, who looked down at it, confused.

“What do you mean?” 

“Just trust me, I think you’ll like it there.”

Merlin still had many questions, but he was too tired to ask them, anway. His eyelids were already trying to flutter shut. Merlin breathed out, then took Arthur’s hand. He instantly gasped. The feeling Arthur’s touch gave him was nothing like he’d ever felt before. He was no longer exhausted, the smoky left his lungs, and his vision even seemed to get brighter. Merlin gazed up at Arthur in wonder, who was almost glowing. The heat of the fire was replaced with a milder warmth like that of the sun.

Arthur gave Merlin’s hand a squeeze, and they walked side by side out of the burning forest and into the light of a new world.


End file.
